1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer security, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for providing increased computer security to commercial transactions across the Internet.
2. Background Information
There has been an explosion in the growth of computer networks as organizations realize the benefits of networking their personal computers and workstations. Increasingly, these networks are falling prey to malicious outsiders who hack into the network, reading and sometimes destroying sensitive information. Exposure to such attacks has increased as companies connect to outside systems such as the Internet.
To protect themselves from attacks by malicious outsiders, organizations are turning to mechanisms for increasing network security. One such mechanism is described in "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING SECURE INTERNETWORK SERVICES", U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/322078 filed Oct. 12, 1994 by Boebert et al., the discussion of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Boebert teaches that modifications can be made to the kernel of the operating system in order to add type enforcement protections to the operating system kernel. This protection mechanism can be added to any other program by modifications to the program code made prior to compiling. It cannot, however, be used to add type enforcement protection to program code after that program code has been compiled.
As use of the Internet has grown, companies are increasingly interested in providing goods and services across the Internet. Software companies such as Netscape have responded by providing commerce server software. Such software typically will be partitioned into a commerce server which is accessible to the Internet shopper and an administration server which is used to maintain the commerce server and which, for security reasons, must be kept inaccessible to all but system administrators. Security mechanisms used to date have not sufficiently protected the administration server from malicious attack. What is needed is a system and method for protecting the administration servers of systems used in Internet commerce from malicious attack.